Nagaland Goes Live On National Rail Map After 100 Years

A major milestone in North East connectivity was marked on 26 August.

The first phase of the Dimapur-Kohima new broad gauge (BG) line project has been completed. This takes Donyi Polo Express right up to Shokhuvi Railway Station in Nagaland.

Background

The railway station at Dimapur connects Nagaland with the rest of the country via Assam.

New BG line connectivity from Dimapur to Nagaland capital Kohima was sanctioned in 2006-07 and declared a "national project" soon after.

The project was to take off from Dimapur and a survey to identify the final location was taken up. But, due to opposition from the state government, the project take-off was decided to be from Dhansiri station in Karbi district of Assam, about 19 km short of Dimapur.

The new railway line will end at Zubza, a suburban city of Kohima.

The Project

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone is executing the 82.50 kilometre (km)-long Dimapur-Kohima BG rail line project at a cost of around Rs 6,648 crore.

The project is being carried out in three phases —

The first phase from Dhansiri to Shokhuvi is 16.5-km long and was commissioned on 29 October 2021.

The second phase is 28-km long and extends from Shokhuvi to Pherima, for which contracts have been awarded. It is targeted for completion by March 2023.

The 38-km Pherima-Zubza stretch is the last phase of the project and involves intense hilly areas. It is targeted for completion by March 2026.

The new rail line project includes eight new railway stations, 158 minor bridges, 24 major bridges, four road over bridges, 18 road under bridges, as well as 14 limited height subways and 20 tunnels.

Project working conditions to do with the tough topography of the site, the security environment, and a limited working season on account of the long rainy season in the state have affected the progress.

On the Rail Map

The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, flagged off the extension of Donyi Polo Express (15817/15818) from Shokhuvi Railway Station in Nagaland on 26 August.

Donyi Polo Express previously ran between Guwahati in Assam and Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh. It has now been extended to Shokhuvi Railway Station via Dhansiri Railway Station in Nagaland, thus establishing direct rail link between Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Nagaland.

The launch marks a historic day for Nagaland, as the state got its second railway station after a gap of more than 100 years, with the Dhansiri–Shokhuvi railway line.

Significance

According to the NFR zone, the new BG rail line from Dimapur to Kohima, once completed, will serve as a new mode of connection between the state capital and the rest of the nation.

The new rail connectivity will largely help in boosting Nagaland's economy, besides making freight transportation easier and promoting tourism.